Rock-a-Bye Baby (14 page)

I used to hop onto the stationary bike wearing my baby in a front pack, then exercise my pregnancy weight off while my baby nodded off.
—Mia. T
.

One day I had my baby in his infant seat on the floor a few feet from the dishwasher. After loading the dishwasher, I turned it on, and moments later my baby was asleep. I started using this technique whenever my daughter couldn't get to sleep in her crib. (Just make sure your baby isn't too close to the dishwasher, which can give off steam.)
—Barbara S
.

This may sound strange, but when I was exhausted, I would just lay in my bed with my baby next to me and pretend to sleep. Pretty soon he'd be asleep too!
—Holly K
.

I would take my finger and stroke my baby's forehead down toward his nose several times until he fell asleep.
—Barbara G
.

Whispering—not singing—songs in her ear worked. “Hush, Little Baby” was her favorite.
—Gay C
.

Pat your baby firmly—not too firmly, just pressure—on her bottom instead of her back.
—Deanna M
.

Put your baby in a car seat with handles and swing or rock her back and forth.
—Donna B
.

I'd knit as my daughter watched from her swing. The clicking needles seemed to hypnotize her to sleep.
—Carole P
.

I know this sounds crazy, but we got a CD called
Grandma's Fussbuster
, which plays sounds like “The Hoover Hustle” (vacuum-cleaner noises), “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” (the hair dryer), and “Someone to Wash over Me” (the dishwasher). I swear by it.
—Elizabeth G
. (
NOTE
:
See “Resources,” page 138
.)

Riding in the stroller always put my baby to sleep after she was fed, but when the weather turned cold and rainy, I couldn't use the stroller outside anymore, so I started pushing it around in the house. I must have looked ridiculous, but whatever it takes!
—Jacqueline H
.

We would warm the blanket in the dryer, then wrap her up and give her last bottle for the night. It really relaxed her. As she got drowsy, we would remove the blanket and put her in her crib.
—Lima C
.

Use a blanket with a satin trim. The soft, silky feeling seems to help babies sleep.
—Patty G
.